Unlike many on Capitol Hill, Larry DiChiara is not a lawyer.
He was a special education teacher, basketball, principal and superintendent for 34 years in the Auburn area, and he believes this background gives him the leadership qualities necessary to represent Alabama's Third District.
"You've got to have people up there who have integrity," DiChiara said. "I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe."
DiChiara said he will vote conservative, something he said the current representative, Mike Rogers, doesn't necessarily do. He said Rogers voted for a bill to fund Planned Parentood, for instance.
"That's not how a conservative would vote," DiChiara said.
He said people urged him to run for Congress because he will vote in line with his conservative beliefs.
"I care about our country and I've been blessed," DiChiara said. "I've been trained as a leader, so I thought, 'Why not got for it?'"
DiChiara is not looking to make a career out of politics because he has already had a career in education. His resume includes two state championships in 1988-89 as basketball coach at Loachapoka High school and Alabama's 2012 Superintendent of the Year award, according to his website.
His conservative platform comes in part from his years of problem-solving and sticking to a budget as an educator.
DiChiara said he also wants to secure the borders because he believes the country needs to take care of its own people, such as the homeless. He said securing the borders is out of love for U.S. citizens.
"Does that mean I dislike [immigrants] ... of course not," DiChiara said.
DiChiara, a devout Catholic, was raised on conservative principles and respects the Constitution and its checks and balances. He believes executive orders are abused by presidents, and that no major decisions should be made while Congress is in recess.
"A president should never have that much power, whoever it is," DiChiara said.
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